


A Not Quite Love

by Draggar



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Freeform, Sick Erin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-19 23:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8228573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draggar/pseuds/Draggar
Summary: I've seen a lot of fics with Erin taking care of a sick Holtz, so I thought it'd be fun to try it the other way around.
First Ghostbusters fic, pretty much just practicing. Eventual Holtzbert.





	1. Chapter One

Erin was awakened by the sound of running water. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as she tried to remember where she was. For the first time, she had spent the night at the fire station the Ghostbusters now called their headquarters. She was most often the first to go home at night, besides Kevin, but Abby had insisted on trying out a new Chinese joint and Erin’s meal had given her stomach quite the beating. She had ended up on the couch after throwing up a few times after she had thought everyone had left. She peeked nervously over the back of the sofa to see who was in the kitchen and smiled meekly when she was greeted by the blonde head of the team’s engineer staring back at her, toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

“Rough night, baby?” Holtzmann hummed through a mouth full of foam.

Erin nodded and turned away, embarrassed to be seen if she looked as bad as she felt. She heard the sound of Holtzmann spitting, then water running again, then felt pressure at the back of the couch. She turned her head to watch her friend vault over the back of the couch to land at her side. Holtz’s cobalt blue gaze was gentle and curious as she inspected the sick doctor.

“You’re lookin’ a little ghostly, Gilbert.” She patted Erin lightly on the back and cracked a cautious smile.

With a blush, Erin buried her head in her hands. “I’m never eating Chinese again.”

Holtzmann smirked and propped up her bare feet on the coffee table, still inspecting the brunette. Erin could almost feel her eyes upon her. She rubbed at her eyes again before speaking. “I thought you went home last night?”

Holtz shrugged and fidgeted in her seat. “Nah, I snuck upstairs while you guys were chowing down. I fell asleep at my desk.”

She tilted her head before leaning towards Erin and whispering, “Plus, I may or may not have started a fire in the sink and I wasn’t totally sure what caused it.”

Erin opened her mouth to say something, closed it, shook her head. She was not in the right state of mind to deal with Holtzmann’s lack of safety. Instead, a new wave of nausea hit her like a ton of bricks and she bent over, reaching for the trash bin she had set next to the sofa.

“Whoa, whoa, easy now.”

Concern filled the engineer’s voice as she rubbed Erin’s back, helping her pull the bin close to her. She reached in one of her many pockets and eventually pulled out a hair tie. As the sick woman bent over the trash fearing the ultimate embarrassment, Holtz collected her hair behind her into a messy ponytail.

“We can’t have you messing up the ‘do now, huh?”

Erin managed to smile meekly at her friend, appreciating the other woman’s constant levity. She closed her eyes, praying that the disgusting feeling in her gut would go away.

Holtzmann, for her part, didn’t seem particularly bothered to be so close to someone on the verge of puking. She continued to gently rub her friend’s back as they sat on the couch together. They sat like this for some time, until Erin finally felt safe enough to lean back away from her trash bin. Holtzmann smiled reassuringly and leaned back with her, shoulder-to-shoulder.

“You need anything, just let Mama Holtzy know. I make a mean soup.”

Erin smiled back, surprised by the caring tone in Holtzmann’s voice. “It’s okay. I don’t mean to keep you here. It’s our day off. I should probably try to go home and sleep this off.”

Holtzmann frowned at this and pulled out her phone. “Well, shit. It’s Saturday.”

The blonde blinked before shaking her head and putting a hand to Erin’s forehead. Her eyes narrowed. “What the hell did you eat last night?”

Erin shrugged away from her touch and worriedly put her own hand to her head. Oh yeah, definitely a fever. She groaned. “I’m not even sure anymore. I knew the beans tasted funny.”

She stood up rubbing her stomach and looked around for her purse. She was only vaguely perturbed by Holtzmann’s unwavering stare. Lately, she had gotten used to being watched by her friend. She didn’t pay it much attention, figuring Holtz just thought she was weird or something. She wouldn’t be the first.

“I’ll go with you. Make you soup.” The engineer was clearly worried, though she beamed up at Erin. She rolled up onto her feet, grabbing Erin’s purse before she could. She threw the shoulder strap around her neck to wear the small bag like a necklace. “I mean, if you want.”

Erin blinked at the engineer. She shook her head, embarrassed enough to have been sick in front of her friend already. “No, Holtz, it’s okay, I don’t want to ruin your weekend.”

Holtzmann scoffed. “Ruin? Darling, you couldn’t possibly.”

Erin blushed deep red and stared at the ground, suddenly finding the floorboards very interesting. It had been years since anyone had ever cared enough to want to take care of her while she was sick. She mumbled a flustered okay, then began to move toward the door before Holtzmann’s voice stopped her again.

“Oh wait. D’you have pets?”

Erin looked quizzically at her coworker before shaking her head.

“Oh, I do. And they kinda need to eat. Wanna go to my place? It’s comfy, I promise.”

The physicist raised an eyebrow but nodded. She had to admit she had always been curious about Holtz’s living arrangements and beyond that she was too tired to argue anymore.

Holtzmann let out a happy cheer and patted Erin’s hair as the two left the station.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, stuff'll pick up a little more and chapters will be longer. Needed to get my feet wet first. Still getting used to these two lovelies. also i totally take requests?

Erin had barely enough time to look around Holtzmann’s apartment before she found herself collapsing onto the engineer’s couch. To say she was pleasantly surprised with the humble apartment was an understatement. She had expected a complete and utter mess. Instead, Holtz seemed to have an uncharacteristically minimalist style when it came to interior design. Only one half of the room could be considered messy. In one corner it contained a desk that must have been her workspace when she was home. Blueprints and notes lay scattered across it. There didn’t seem to be a chair for the desk, which didn’t surprise Erin at all. Holtzmann barely stayed still when she worked. Next to the desk, a massive three-story animal hutch took up the rest of the wall. She smiled despite her fever at the four fluffy creatures that slept inside as the eccentric engineer scooped food into their dishes.

“Chinchillas? Really, Holtz?”

“Yep. Erin, meet the girls. Marie Curie, Henrietta Lacks, Rosalind Franklin, and Jodie Foster. Don’t ask me which is which. Girls, meet Erin.” Holtzmann flourished her hands at the massive cage. She had clearly built it herself, and it was full of gadgets that Erin didn’t even bother trying to put name or purpose to.

Erin had to pinch the bridge of her nose to conceal laughter that made her head swim. She shook her head and laid back, looking around the other half of the room. An ancient television sat on an antique stand before her. Holtzmann had clearly made her own adjustments to this as well. A small hallway opened up to a kitchen and another room that must have been Holtz’s bedroom. Erin smiled softly. The apartment was small and, indeed, comfy. The couch she found herself on was far more comfortable than even the nice one they had all decided on for the fire station living room.

Her chinchillas fed, Holtzmann made her way to the edge of the couch and sat on the floor. She looked up at the physicist. Erin found herself reflecting on just how quiet and thoughtful the engineer was when she wasn’t shouting out the first things that came to her mind. After a few awkward seconds had passed of the two just quietly watching each other had passed, Holtz piped up.

“So, welcome. Mi casa es tu casa. …Can I get you anything?”

Before Erin could even think of a reply, Holtzmann was up and moving. Erin watched as she moved quickly around the apartment, grabbing enough blankets and pillows out of a closet that Erin was surprised she didn’t fall over. The blonde dropped them at the foot of the couch then disappeared into the kitchen. Erin had barely time to blink before she was back with a bottle of tylenol and a water bottle. She offered them to the brunette, blue eyes soft.

“Thank you. I think I’m okay. M-maybe a plastic bag?” Erin blushed. It would be just like her to come to a friend’s home for the first time and ruin their carpet.

Jillian nodded understandingly and ducked back into the kitchen to retrieve an old plastic grocery bag. She laid it by the couch and then nudged the remote control toward Erin. “Feel free t’watch whatever. I never do. You wanna try to eat something or not yet? I can do soup, cereal, tea, whatever your heart desires.”

Erin blushed. She would never have pictured Holtzmann to be the doting type. Though her stomach still felt like it was flipped upside down, she could see in the woman’s eyes that she was too restless to not make something. Erin was touched. “Um, sure, Holtz… Do you have, like, oatmeal?”

Holtzmann visibly brightened. “Nah, but I know where to get some.”

Erin watched curiously as the bubbly engineer jogged to the window at the end of the hall. She opened it and leaned out, looking above her.

“HEY JANICE. JANIIIIICE.”

The physicist couldn’t help herself. She got up from the couch and walked cautiously down the hall, unsure of what to expect. An unfamiliar voice came down from a window above them.

“Jill? What do you need?”

Holtzmann grinned and winked at Erin. “Got any extra oatmeal?”

A minute passed. Holtzmann smirked at the incredulous look on her friend’s face. Then as if on cue, she reached out and snatched a falling packet of oatmeal mix out of the air. “You’re wonderful,” she crowed upwards before slamming the window shut and gently tugging Erin in the direction of the kitchen.

“Who was that?” Erin couldn’t possibly conceal the confusion in her voice.

The engineer smirked as she poured the oatmeal mix into a glass dish. “Janice, duh. She’s a good neighbor. Not like Kathy and Tom.”

Erin blinked silently and put a hand on her hips, eliciting a cheeky grin from the blonde in front of her.

“She lives above me with a shitload of cats. She hasn’t left her apartment in seven years, I guess. She’s agoraphobic and too old to fix it. I do her grocery shopping. And other stuff.”

The brunette found herself oddly touched by this new detail of Holtzmann’s life. Before she could stop herself, she had reached out and squeezed her friend’s hand. “That’s… that’s actually really, really sweet.”

“Your hand’s a lil clammy, Gilbert.” Holtz laughed. But as Erin tore her hand away in embarrassment, she grabbed it and squeezed back with a wink.

“Go sit down, I can handle oatmeal all on my own.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yeaaah I don't really know what I'm doing yet. Haven't written anything in a long while, so I'm using this as a bit of practice/exercise to get into the swing of things. This'll probably be short, 3-5 chapters. I'm also working on a more serious 21-part fic that should be better. Err, yep.


End file.
